With a name like ‘widowbird,’ you’d expect this dusky male to have a low-key love life. But those 20-inch-long tail feathers are highly favored by females, even though they can make it difficult for the males to fly on windy days. The display has been the subject of much study regarding sexually selected traits and the tradeoffs between physical constraint and attracting a mate, since the tail feathers don’t seem to aid in flight and may even cause a hinderance. Ah, the things we do for love.
Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
Today in History
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An uncommonly cool critter
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Defying gravity on a swing ride
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Mada’in Saleh archeological site in Saudi Arabia
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Asteroid Day
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Shark Awareness Day
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The Cathedral of Florence, Italy
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Mercury in retrograde
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Racing toward history
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A national icon
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Cape Town at dusk
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Wildebeests in Maasai Mara, Kenya
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Male kori bustard, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
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Seville, Spain
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Mount Logan in Yukon, Canada
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Wildebeest on the move
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Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the institution s 175th anniversary
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Black History Month
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Punakaiki on South Island, New Zealand
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Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
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The Hermitage of Santa Justa
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Seasonal lights dazzle in Japan
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Oud-West, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Beech trees and wild anemones, Jutland, Denmark
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Noctilucent clouds
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East River crossing
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League of Nations, 100 years later
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Reflecting on Black History Month
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A view from the top
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Cool water in the Quinault
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International Beaver Day